People across the globe are watching to see if there's ultimately a resolution to this US government shutdown. And what they're saying — and hearing — isn't great. Many folks around the globe say the shutdown looks crazy. It looks silly. It looks like lawmakers are arguing about something that doesn't entirely matter.

East Germany never had a lot of cash on hand. What it did have was political prisoners, and plenty of them. So during the Cold War, the communist regime ransomed hundreds of thousands of people to the West in exchange for much-needed hard currency.

A third of the world’s food spoils in transit and never reaches the table — food that could feed more than the 870 million people on Earth who don't get enough to eat. Improved refrigeration and transportation of perishable foods through a better integrated “cold chain” could combat world hunger and mitigate climate change without the need to grow more food to feed an increasing population.

The United Nations Security Council is scheduled to tackle a particularly disturbing tactic of war this week: the use of rape as a weapon. Jeb Sharp talks with Anne-Marie Goetz of UNIFEM, the UN's development agency for women.

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10/08/2013 - 5:45pm

When British artist Banksy does something, people take notice. The unidentified and mysterious graffiti artist has posted a film online that spoofs Syrian rebels and shows them accidentally killing Dumbo the Elephant. The video's gone viral and has generated a lot of reaction in the Twittersphere.

For years, Stephen Colbert's conservative parody showed how satire and ridicule can be powerful forms of expression. Now with Sony canceling "The Interview" in the face of apparent North Korean threats, his show's ending seems like an even bigger blow for free speech.

Now that Oregon will automatically register anyone with a driver's license to vote, Pennsylvania is looking at taking the move even further. It could add as many as 2 millions Pennsylvanians to the voter rolls, and President Barack Obama also is now recommending action to increase turnout.